How to arrive and

Applying for this Visa

The sponsorship, nomination and visa application can be lodged at the same time or separately – but in that exact order. Australian business sponsors can apply online, in person, by mail or by courier. Overseas business sponsors can only apply by mail or by courier.

Step 1 - Employer Applies to be a Sponsor
The employer has to provide the following with the sponsorship application:

http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-workers/_pdf/457-sponsor-checklist.pdf
The Sponsorship Charge is A$405.
Step 2 - Employer Nominates a Position
The purpose of the nomination process is to identify the position to be filled and then the skills and experience required for the position. To lodge a nomination the employer must have either: already lodged a sponsorship application, or had a previous sponsorship approved, or applied for sponsorship on the same form and at the same time as the nomination application. The Nomination Charge is A$80.
Regional Australian employers seeking a concession to the minimum skill and salary levels must have their nomination certified by a Regional Certifying Body in their local area before it can be approved by the department. The relevant Australian certifying bodies can be found here: http://www.immi.gov.au/skills/regional-certifying-bodies.htm
Where to apply outside Australia can be found here:

http://www.immi.gov.au/contacts/overseas/index.htm
Step 3 - Employee Applies for a Visa
The employee must then apply for a visa to work in Australia on a temporary basis. To lodge a visa application the sponsorship and nomination must have been lodged with or prior to the visa application. The Visa Application Charge is A$305.
If you are sponsored by an overseas business, you can only apply by mail or by courier. Where to apply outside Australia can be found here: http://www.immi.gov.au/contacts/overseas/index.htm
Note: Once your application has been submitted, you will not be able to receive a refund of the application charge.
You can read and analyse the latest statistics about this visa at:

http://www.immi.gov.au/media/statistics/statistical-info/temp-entrants/subclass-457.htm
You can read more in-depth about this visa on the DIBP website at:

http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/457.aspx

The Points-Tested Skilled Migration visas

On the 1 July 2012 three new points tested skilled migration visa subclasses were introduced:

1. 
   Subclass 189 (skilled independent) – A permanent visa for skilled workers who are not sponsored by a state/territory, employer or family member. It allows visa holder to live and work anywhere in Australia and allows certain family members to be added before the application is decided.
   
2. 
   Subclass 190 (skilled nominated) – A permanent visa for skilled workers who are nominated by a state or territory government. It allows visa holder to live and work anywhere in Australia and allows certain family members to be added before the application is decided.
   
3. 
   Subclass 489 (skilled regional – provisional) – A provisional visa for skilled workers who are nominated by a state/territory government or an eligible relative. It is valid for 4 years and requires the visa holder to live and work in a specified regional area. It also allows for the adding of certain family members as secondary applicants.
   

Basic Eligibility Requirements (subclasses 189, 190 and 489)

- Intending migrants have to submit an Expression of Interest through the SkillSelect service

- The applicant must receive an invitation to apply
- The applicant must meet points test pass mark
- At the time of invitation, the applicant must be under 50 years of age
- The applicant must meet health, character and Australian values requirements
- The applicant must have at least competent level of English
- The applicant must nominate a skilled occupation from the relevant Skilled Occupation List (SOL) in place at the time he/she intends to apply
Migrants and their dependent family members can submit Expression of Interest, who might be invited to apply and apply for visa in or outside Australia.
Skill Select

SkillSelect is the starting point for you to eventually secure one of these visas. This online service enables skilled workers interested in migrating to Australia to record their details to be considered for a skilled visa through an Expression of Interest (EOI).

Remember: In order to be able to apply for any of the points tested skilled migration visas, all intending migrants must first submit an Expression of Interest. Based on the basic personal information provided in the Expression of Interest, applicant’s skills and attributes are assessed and they are allocated a score according to the points test. Migrant’s scores are ranked against other EOIs and the migrants with the highest ranking scores across a broad range of occupations may be invited to apply for a skilled visa.

Expression of Interest is not a visa application and only once the person has been invited to apply, the applicant will have to demonstrate the proof of the claims made in the Expression of Interest. Just because you have submitted an EOI, it does not mean you will be invited to proceed further with the process.

More information about Skill Select can be found here: http://www.skillselect.gov.au

An useful blog entry (find 18^th February 2013) dealing with the top 10 tips of submitting an EOI can be found at: http://migrationblog.immi.gov.au/
Points Tested Pass Mark
The points test pass mark is the minimum number of points required to be eligible for a points tested skilled migration visa. However, not everyone who meets the pass mark will be invited to apply for a visa and the pass mark may constantly change .
The score of an applicant receives when their application is assessed must be equal to or greater than the Expression of Interest score. Otherwise, if the applicant inflate Expression of Interest score, he/she may have the application refused.
The points test pass mark for newly introduced SkillSelect visas subclass 189, 190 and 489 is 60 points. The points test pass mark for visa subclasses 885, 886 and 487 was changed from 65 points to 60 points on 1 January 2013.
More information with a useful grid showing what points are awarded for can be found here: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/pdf/points-tested-migration-fact-sheet.pdf
Family Members
Other family members of visa applicant who are making a combined application must demonstrate a family relationship and dependency if required, and satisfy health, character, custody, Australian values and functional language requirements.